Article on Woo -
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The term woo has disputed origins. It could be based on making woo-woo noises as a comforting sound, or woo as the sound of the magician doing the big reveal. Either way, it refers to people trying to use poor evidence or strained reasoning that lacks any evidence to promote false things. I believe the term was popularized by James Randi and his debunking efforts.
It is most often used in MFP land for health / fitness woo, but there are many flavors of woo. Depak Chopra speaks a lot of quantum woo for example. Sometimes, even very commonly held beliefs are woo, such as the belief that high amounts of vitamin c will have health benefits like cold prevention.0 -
UltimateRBF wrote: »
Look, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings or insult anyone.tincanonastring wrote: »
That's how it's used.UltimateRBF wrote: »^Yeah but there are a LOT of concepts in the health and nutrition world that are flat out wrong and not remotely based in science. It's not all "do whatever works for you, everybody is different". Crap deserves to be refuted, especially if it's the kind that swindles people out of their money, and even more so if it could be dangerous.
"Woo", while a made up term, is not the term for something you just don't agree with.
I think there's even a thread going now that discusses the idea of sodium being something you might want to keep an eye on as "woo." Doctors and scientists disagree, but it's "woo" to some.
HAES is not considered "woo" to the HAES people.
I was just explaining how the word is used. People tend to use it to mean "things I don't like/believe/agree with."
I'm not suggesting people stop using it or use it in the way others do. I don't personally even use the word.
Green Tea Extract isn't considered woo to those who take GTE. Imagine my utter fecking surprise. Woo is and always has been pseuedoscience, regardless of your attempt to say otherwise.
I am not arguing over the definition of a made-up word that I don't use, lol.
I was just explaining to the person who asked how the word is used. If you disagree, then we disagree.
I am not entering into some stupid fight and sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intent.
No one's offended. This isn't about being offended...
Just as long as we all agree that wheat is like sandpaper for your gut, when your baby starts getting people food give it zucchini instead of banana, and eating a highly restrictive diet cures eating disorders, my feelings will not be hurt.
Disagree with me and I will NOT be offering you a discount on my services as an integrative nutrition health and wellness coach.
Have a nice day! X0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »
Look, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings or insult anyone.tincanonastring wrote: »
That's how it's used.UltimateRBF wrote: »^Yeah but there are a LOT of concepts in the health and nutrition world that are flat out wrong and not remotely based in science. It's not all "do whatever works for you, everybody is different". Crap deserves to be refuted, especially if it's the kind that swindles people out of their money, and even more so if it could be dangerous.
"Woo", while a made up term, is not the term for something you just don't agree with.
I think there's even a thread going now that discusses the idea of sodium being something you might want to keep an eye on as "woo." Doctors and scientists disagree, but it's "woo" to some.
HAES is not considered "woo" to the HAES people.
I was just explaining how the word is used. People tend to use it to mean "things I don't like/believe/agree with."
I'm not suggesting people stop using it or use it in the way others do. I don't personally even use the word.
Green Tea Extract isn't considered woo to those who take GTE. Imagine my utter fecking surprise. Woo is and always has been pseuedoscience, regardless of your attempt to say otherwise.
I am not arguing over the definition of a made-up word that I don't use, lol.
I was just explaining to the person who asked how the word is used. If you disagree, then we disagree.
I am not entering into some stupid fight and sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intent.
No one's offended. This isn't about being offended...
Just as long as we all agree that wheat is like sandpaper for your gut, when your baby starts getting people food give it zucchini instead of banana, and eating a highly restrictive diet cures eating disorders, my feelings will not be hurt.
Disagree with me and I will NOT be offering you a discount on my services as an integrative nutrition health and wellness coach.
How much of a discount? And are you a self titled health and wellness coach, or do you at least have some credentials from an online test that proves you can read questions? Because I prefer the self titled ones, any kind of testing just proves you've bought into the system.0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »
Look, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings or insult anyone.tincanonastring wrote: »
That's how it's used.UltimateRBF wrote: »^Yeah but there are a LOT of concepts in the health and nutrition world that are flat out wrong and not remotely based in science. It's not all "do whatever works for you, everybody is different". Crap deserves to be refuted, especially if it's the kind that swindles people out of their money, and even more so if it could be dangerous.
"Woo", while a made up term, is not the term for something you just don't agree with.
I think there's even a thread going now that discusses the idea of sodium being something you might want to keep an eye on as "woo." Doctors and scientists disagree, but it's "woo" to some.
HAES is not considered "woo" to the HAES people.
I was just explaining how the word is used. People tend to use it to mean "things I don't like/believe/agree with."
I'm not suggesting people stop using it or use it in the way others do. I don't personally even use the word.
Green Tea Extract isn't considered woo to those who take GTE. Imagine my utter fecking surprise. Woo is and always has been pseuedoscience, regardless of your attempt to say otherwise.
I am not arguing over the definition of a made-up word that I don't use, lol.
I was just explaining to the person who asked how the word is used. If you disagree, then we disagree.
I am not entering into some stupid fight and sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intent.
No one's offended. This isn't about being offended...
Just as long as we all agree that wheat is like sandpaper for your gut, when your baby starts getting people food give it zucchini instead of banana, and eating a highly restrictive diet cures eating disorders, my feelings will not be hurt.
Disagree with me and I will NOT be offering you a discount on my services as an integrative nutrition health and wellness coach.
How much of a discount? And are you a self titled health and wellness coach, or do you at least have some credentials from an online test that proves you can read questions? Because I prefer the self titled ones, any kind of testing just proves you've bought into the system.
I always say I haven’t had training, and I never get into the science because that’s not my strength.
[That's a direct quote from that Calgary woman btw]0 -
barbecuesauce wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »
Look, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings or insult anyone.tincanonastring wrote: »
That's how it's used.UltimateRBF wrote: »^Yeah but there are a LOT of concepts in the health and nutrition world that are flat out wrong and not remotely based in science. It's not all "do whatever works for you, everybody is different". Crap deserves to be refuted, especially if it's the kind that swindles people out of their money, and even more so if it could be dangerous.
"Woo", while a made up term, is not the term for something you just don't agree with.
I think there's even a thread going now that discusses the idea of sodium being something you might want to keep an eye on as "woo." Doctors and scientists disagree, but it's "woo" to some.
HAES is not considered "woo" to the HAES people.
I was just explaining how the word is used. People tend to use it to mean "things I don't like/believe/agree with."
I'm not suggesting people stop using it or use it in the way others do. I don't personally even use the word.
Green Tea Extract isn't considered woo to those who take GTE. Imagine my utter fecking surprise. Woo is and always has been pseuedoscience, regardless of your attempt to say otherwise.
I am not arguing over the definition of a made-up word that I don't use, lol.
I was just explaining to the person who asked how the word is used. If you disagree, then we disagree.
I am not entering into some stupid fight and sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intent.
No one's offended. This isn't about being offended...
Just as long as we all agree that wheat is like sandpaper for your gut, when your baby starts getting people food give it zucchini instead of banana, and eating a highly restrictive diet cures eating disorders, my feelings will not be hurt.
Disagree with me and I will NOT be offering you a discount on my services as an integrative nutrition health and wellness coach.
Have a nice day! X
You must have an online degree as a nutritionist ..0 -
too many words!0
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I think I'd rather listen to Madeleine Shaw - she's laughing at her salad, so you can tell she's legit.barbecuesauce wrote: »barbecuesauce wrote: »UltimateRBF wrote: »
Look, I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings or insult anyone.tincanonastring wrote: »
That's how it's used.UltimateRBF wrote: »^Yeah but there are a LOT of concepts in the health and nutrition world that are flat out wrong and not remotely based in science. It's not all "do whatever works for you, everybody is different". Crap deserves to be refuted, especially if it's the kind that swindles people out of their money, and even more so if it could be dangerous.
"Woo", while a made up term, is not the term for something you just don't agree with.
I think there's even a thread going now that discusses the idea of sodium being something you might want to keep an eye on as "woo." Doctors and scientists disagree, but it's "woo" to some.
HAES is not considered "woo" to the HAES people.
I was just explaining how the word is used. People tend to use it to mean "things I don't like/believe/agree with."
I'm not suggesting people stop using it or use it in the way others do. I don't personally even use the word.
Green Tea Extract isn't considered woo to those who take GTE. Imagine my utter fecking surprise. Woo is and always has been pseuedoscience, regardless of your attempt to say otherwise.
I am not arguing over the definition of a made-up word that I don't use, lol.
I was just explaining to the person who asked how the word is used. If you disagree, then we disagree.
I am not entering into some stupid fight and sincerely apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intent.
No one's offended. This isn't about being offended...
Just as long as we all agree that wheat is like sandpaper for your gut, when your baby starts getting people food give it zucchini instead of banana, and eating a highly restrictive diet cures eating disorders, my feelings will not be hurt.
Disagree with me and I will NOT be offering you a discount on my services as an integrative nutrition health and wellness coach.
How much of a discount? And are you a self titled health and wellness coach, or do you at least have some credentials from an online test that proves you can read questions? Because I prefer the self titled ones, any kind of testing just proves you've bought into the system.
I always say I haven’t had training, and I never get into the science because that’s not my strength.
[That's a direct quote from that Calgary woman btw]
My favorte is Nutritiarin Nancy though (despite her high falooting PhD she got for a 3k word "dissertation"): https://www.facebook.com/NutritarianNancy0 -
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flyingtanuki wrote: »barbecuesauce wrote: »
Would that be a "dessertation"?
Only if it's free from sugar, wheat, dairy, and joy.0 -
limetree683 wrote: »http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jun/27/new-wellness-bloggers-food-drink-hadley-freeman
A good overview of the many types of woo promoted within the weightloss industry, from unqualified barely pubescent girls giving nutritional advice to people claiming their diet cures cancer.
Excellent article. Thanks!0 -
percolater wrote: »What is woo?
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/WooWoo is a term used among skeptical writers to describe pseudoscientific explanations that have certain common characteristics.
The term comes from woo-woo, an epithet used in the 1990s by science and skeptical writers to ridicule people who believe or promote such things. This is in turn believed to have come from the onomatopoeia "woooooo!" as a reaction to dimmed lights or magic tricks. The term implies a lack of either intelligence or sincerity on the part of the person or concepts so described.0 -
I think another thing the article illustrates is the economics of this growing industry, and how shallow it really is: it seems to be mostly (almost always, actually) young, white, thin women from already privileged backgrounds - links to the media, royalty, etc etc and always, always, supremely underqualified. They are about selling an image, not science and rigour. Sure put out recipe books if your recipes are nice, but to market it as 'healthful' when you do not have the qualifications to make these claims to the public is ridiculous.0
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flyingtanuki wrote: »barbecuesauce wrote: »
Would that be a "dessertation"?
A+0 -
Yes, but it has a meaning beyond "things I don't agree with" (the one you quoted, for example) and can be used correctly and incorrectly.
IMO, "the AHA says sodium should be below 1500 mg" is not woo. It still could be overly aggressive for many people or based on questionable science or overly generalized, but that doesn't make it the same thing as woo.
Another good example, from the same source, is the suggestion that sat fat be kept at 6% of overall calories or below. (For a 2000 calorie diet that's 13 g or less; for a 1500 calorie diet that's 10 g or less.) Again, one can question the benefits of those numbers (and certainly question them as to certain individuals) without asserting that the issue is "woo." It's not. It's a discussion as to what the underlying science supports.
Woo would be something like "a properly functioning body will tell you what it needs, because that's how it was designed." Or "natural foods are best because they were designed for us to eat; manmade foods are Frankenstein monsters." Or "if you juice and eat huge amounts of "natural" sugars and micronutrients that are in fruits and veggies and avoid solid foods, that will do something special for your body including detoxing you." But there are of course millions of these, including your "old wives tales" like "don't eat after 6 pm" or "breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you don't eat breakfast food at breakfast your metabolism won't run." Or "never exercise more vigorously than fat burning zone, or you won't lose fat."
I find some ideas I think are woo to be attractive (well, depending on how it's stated), and that something is woo doesn't make it wrong--things can be right or helpful without being scientifically supported. But what's bothersome is people taking woo and then trying to sell it as science or as a rule that all should follow.0 -
It's all "buyer beware" alas.
When reading I try to keep a keen eye out.
Just yesterday I downloaded a book from the kindle unlimited library (in other words it was free) about menopause and diet.
I skimmed a few pages and quickly noted that she was equating "brown" with complex and "white" with simple.
So when she said replace simple carbs with complex carbs the examples she gave as "complex carbs" included "brown sugar".
Delete book.0 -
Brown sugar as a complex carb????? Oh, that just made my day.0
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^lol - that is a remarkable claim0
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